Until We Meet Again
by itainthardtryin
Summary: Santana Lopez died on a Tuesday. There was nothing remarkable about her death. All that was left as evidence that Santana ever existed at all was a carved stone in a graveyard.  Warning: character death, but with a twist  Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Santana Lopez died on a Tuesday. There was nothing remarkable about her death. The only mourners at her funeral four days later were the nurses who had cared for her in the final two years of her life. Never married, and with no children, Santana's possessions were donated to Goodwill and the remaining dollars in her bank account left to the home that she'd lived in. There was a short dedication in the local newspaper the week following her death. After that, all that was left as evidence that Santana ever existed at all was a carved stone in a graveyard. Eighty-three years of life and that was all there was to show for it.

In the weeks leading up to her death Santana had started to make less and less sense as she spoke. Anna, the nurse that cared for Santana, had noted that she began to frequently mention three main things – blue eyes, a medal, and songbirds. There was never any explanation behind these topics other than she'd get lost in blue eyes, the medal didn't compare and how songbirds kept singing. Anna put it down to old age and never questioned what it meant. The minds of the elderly are always throwing up odd images, so to her it was nothing new.

Santana didn't talk about anything else, but her mind kept thinking. She had one last thought before she died – she regretted the life she lived, dying alone. She wished she could do it all again. Before she took her final breath, Santana looked out the window of the room that she now called home. On the branch of the tree closest to her window was one single dove. It was singing. Santana noted that the song it was singing was almost as beautiful as the blue eyes she missed so dearly. Santana felt her heart dance to the song. When the dove flew away and the song ended, so did Santana's life.

She came to consciousness in a dark room. In the distance, a single spotlight was shining on a man sitting at a table. As Santana walked closer, she noticed that there was no pain in her joints as she moved. She sprinted towards the man before slowing down again. Her breathing remained steady. She felt as youthful as she did at seventeen. She reached the man at the table and stared at him incredulously. He was a kind faced man with short blond hair. He wore a black suit, white shirt and red tie. He had been smiling as Santana approached and motioned for her to sit down at the single seat on the other side of the table. There was a large, leather bound book between them.

'Ah. Miss Lopez. Pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Dante.'

Santana reached out to shake the hand that was now extended in front of her. 'Who exactly are you?' she asked. 'And where are we?'

'I'm here to grant you your wish,' he said simply. Santana looked confused.

'You're in what those on earth call purgatory. The stopping ground before moving on to the afterlife. Christians believe that this is where you come to be judged before being sent to Heaven or Hell. In reality though, this is where you come to get a second chance. Only those who really wish they could change their life get the chance, so congratulations.'

Santana just stared at him.

'Humans believe you only get one chance at life. That's why they latch onto that 'life's too short' theory so much. That's not true. If you want it enough, you get a second chance. And not only one. You get three.'

'Three?' Santana choked out in surprise.

'That is correct, Miss Lopez. The book in front of you documents every day that you lived on earth, from the moment you were born to the moment you passed away. You can choose three days. You can either go back to these days and relive them purely as they were and continue your life from there, or you can choose to change the outcome. You will only be able to see the most significant scenes of your life whatever you choose. If you choose to change the outcome however I must warn you that there may be drastic consequences. Also, you'll change the lives of those around you, and you may also shorten or extend your own life. The choice is entirely yours.'

Santana was speechless. She knew immediately what day she would return to first. She shouldn't need the other two chances to change her life. She knew where it all went wrong. She knew why she died alone. She wasn't brave enough when she was younger.

'I know the day I want to go back to,' she spoke with complete certainty. She told Dante and he nodded.

'Very well, Miss Lopez. A good choice,' he said before opening the book quite close to the beginning, about a quarter of the way through. 'I wish you luck.'

Then, without warning, he disappeared and everything went black. Gradually, the scene began to materialise around Santana and she couldn't quite believe it. The first and only thing she noticed was the seventeen year old Brittany sitting in a chair in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2

Brittany looked beautiful. There was no other word that even came close to describing how she looked; sitting there innocently in a red dress with flowers on it that highlighted all her best features. Her long blond hair was sitting perfectly in loose curls, her face almost entirely free of makeup. Santana felt breathless. Brittany was even more perfect than she remembered.

Santana was brought back into the moment by the soft notes that had started coming from the piano to her right. She held her hands together nervously. Even though this was easier second time round, it was much more emotional. She didn't think she'd ever get the chance to see Brittany again even for a moment, let alone get the chance to go back to her high school days, make the right choices and live the life she'd always dreamed about.

Santana began to sing. She put every last ounce of emotion she had in her body into her performance. She needed to make Brittany understand just how much she loved her. All too soon, the music had stopped and she was standing directly in front of Brittany. She knew what came next.

'Beautiful. Okay, so why couldn't you sing that to me in front of everyone, now that Artie and I aren't together?' Brittany said as she got up off her chair. Even the way she moved was so graceful that Santana was left in awe of how perfect she was. Things were about to change now. She wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

'I will if you want me to. I just thought it would be more romantic if we were alone. I needed to ask you something,' Santana said. There was no fear this time. No excuses about being asked to join the golf team or not being ready for a public announcement.

'Brittany, I love you more than anything. Will you go to prom with me?'

'Santana, you don't have to do this. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. If you want to go to prom with Dave you can. It'll be easier for you,' Brittany says. Santana felt her heart clench. Brittany was always putting her own happiness second. She just wanted Santana to be happy even if that meant giving up what she wanted most – having Santana as her date for prom.

'No Britt, I want to go with you. I couldn't go with anyone other than you. It wouldn't be right. I don't care what's easy. If people have a problem with us then we'll just ignore them. I want to hold your hand in front of everyone. I want to kiss you when we slow dance. I want to be the last to leave, exhausted and content because I spent the night trying to keep up with my beautiful dancer girlfriend. I want to take you home, fall asleep with my arms around you and wake up next to you the following day. I just don't care who knows anymore, Britt. I want you and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen,' Santana finished. She'd looked Brittany straight in the eye the entire time she was talking and watched as Brittany's smile became brighter and her eyes filled with tears with each sentence she spoke.

'Do you mean it, Santana?' Brittany choked out through tears.

She didn't respond with words. Instead, she took Brittany by the hand, pulled her close and kissed her. Brad was still at the piano, the doors in the room were open – anyone could see them kissing but Santana didn't care. She knew she couldn't make the same mistakes again.

Without warning, the scene around her began to change. After a few moments Santana recognised her new surroundings as the gym decorated for prom. She felt cold. Looking down at her own body, she saw that she was covered in slushee. She wiped at her face, which was also covered. When she managed to see the scene in front of her she felt angry. Three football jocks were pointing and laughing at her, the rest of the school watching on, doing nothing. Santana balled her hands into fists and, just as she did so, she felt Brittany's grasp on her wrist. She heard Britt's voice, in that soothing tone she uses when she doesn't want her to do something, say 'Santana, ignore them.' She recognised the words as her own from the choir room but she couldn't ignore them.

'What is your problem!' she yelled, marching toward them. They took a step back. 'Why can't you just leave people alone and get on with your own pathetic little lives? What is it – are you jealous? Jealous that I'm at prom with a beautiful girl who loves me as much as I love her, while you're trying to get a girl you're not even interested in drunk so she'll kiss you or fuck you just so you can pretend you're not alone? Is that what this is about? Well, you can try as much as you want but you're not going to take this away from me! For the first time in my life I'm happy. Truly happy, and there is nothing you can do to take that from me. Slushee me every day if that makes you feel less alone, but at the end of the day I'm going home to my girlfriend and I'm going to wake up beside her in the morning. You? You're just going to be alone and I feel sorry for you,' she finished. Santana turned around and kissed Brittany on the cheek, before taking her by the hand and leading her out of the room. It wasn't the perfect prom Santana had imagined, but at least she'd defended Brittany and not acted like the coward she had first time around.

The scene changed again, only this time Santana didn't recognise where she was. It was a small apartment. From where she was standing, Santana could see that it only had one bedroom, a bathroom and an open plan living space that led onto the kitchen. There didn't seem to be any more to it. Santana walked towards the open living space where there were unopened boxes, each with writing on the side. Santana moved them so the writing was visible – 'Santana living room', 'Britt living room', 'wedding gifts'. Her breath caught in her throat when she read the last one. Wedding gifts.

She opened the box carefully. On top was a white photo album, finished in delicate detail. She lifted it out of the box and opened it. On the first page there was one single picture of both herself and Brittany in white wedding gowns. Santana brought a hand up to her forehead and ran her fingers through her hair as she fully took in the scene in the photo in front of her. In the picture she was standing behind Brittany, who sat on a carved oak bench. She was staring intently into Brittany's eyes, as Brittany looked back at her over her shoulder. Santana's arms were wrapped around Brittany's waist and their hands were joined - fingers laced together - around Brittany's stomach. Both of them looked the happiest they'd ever been. Santana just thought to herself that Brittany was still the most beautiful woman she'd ever set eyes on and she was beyond lucky that this beautiful woman was now her wife.

'Babe, it's ready!' Santana would recognise that voice anywhere. Brittany; her wife. She didn't know what was ready, but the excitement in Brittany's voice told her that she couldn't wait to find out. She followed the voice to the door to the bedroom where Brittany was standing in a plain black tank top, grey sweatpants and had her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Santana thought she looked even more beautiful now than she did with perfect make up in a wedding gown.

'Okay, okay, you've gotta close your eyes San. It has to be a surprise!' Brittany said before running round behind Santana and placing a hand over her eyes so she couldn't see anything.

'Britt! Come on, I'm not a kid! I won't peek!' Santana said through giggles. Brittany just walked Santana forward slowly through the door to the bedroom. 'Ta-da!' she said, as she took her hand away from Santana's eyes. 'Do you like it?'

Santana looked around the bedroom. It was so stereotypically Brittany. There were fairy lights above the bed, which had a pink and white polka dot bedspread. Sitting on the pillows was a worn out teddy bear – which Santana recognised as the one she'd bought her for Christmas when they were both twelve years old. On the wall opposite the bed was an enlarged version of the photo that Santana had seen in the photo album. The rest of the room was sitting immaculately – from the ornaments on the nightstands, to the way the curtains were sitting against the window.

'It's perfect, Britt,' Santana said, turning to her wife.

'Can you believe it San? That we're actually here in New York in our own apartment and we're married? I just – we're so lucky.'

Despite never wanting to leave that moment, the scene changed around Santana again. The first thing she felt was Britt's hand in her own. They were walking through Central Park. Santana thought it must be at least midnight – it was very dark and she felt slightly tired. They were walking in a comfortable silence, glancing at each other briefly every few minutes. They were just enjoying each other's company. Santana was trying to work out how much time had passed since they were in the apartment. She spotted a billboard in the distance that was advertising a movie that was to be released in August 2025. They must have been about thirty now. They looked mid-twenties in their wedding photo. Santana smiled to herself that she'd been living with, and married to, the woman of her dreams for five years now. She wondered what significance this day had in their lives. Anniversary? Birthday?

The answer came only seconds later. A man, probably no older than twenty approached them. He was dressed in scruffy clothes, a scarf pulled up covering most of his face so only his eyes were visible. Santana noticed that they were not friendly.

'Give me your bag,' the man said, looking at the handbag Brittany was carrying. It was designer. Brittany pulled it closer to her chest. 'I'm not fucking about here blondie! Give me your bag and no-one gets hurt,' he said. Brittany said nothing, but still refused to hand the bag over. Santana felt sick to her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the man put his hand inside his jacket. Santana had seen enough TV shows to know what his intentions were. Without even considering the consequences of her actions, Santana pushed Brittany out of the way just as she heard the gunshot.

The next thing Santana sees is Brittany. She's lying on the ground now and Brittany is kneeling over her with tears streaming down her face, screaming. Santana has never heard anything so heartbreaking. She feels weak but she can make out parts of what Brittany is screaming – 'please Santana, please just stay with me, please!', 'no, no, no, you're not allowed to leave me like this, please Santana, you said we'd grow old together, you're not allowed to leave me!', 'Santana, I love you, please... just... please.' By the time she hears the last one, Santana knows that Brittany is completely exhausted. Brittany knows that screaming isn't going to help her wife stay alive. Santana fights the darkness with everything she has left, but it's not enough.

The last thing Santana sees are Brittany's eyes. They're empty. They're not the eyes that Santana grew to love. They're empty and hopeless and so pained that, if she had the strength left in her, Santana would have completely broken down. She knows she's about to die, but she swears that she's taking a part of Brittany with her. That's the only thing she can think of before everything is dark again.

**A/N - someone commented that they hope the chapters are going to be longer. The way I've written this story is so it has sort of a short chapter followed by a longer chapter. Most of the story is already written, I think in total it's going to be about 7k words. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Santana knows where she is this time. She storms toward the table where Dante sits with that same friendly smile.

'NO! NO, NO, NO! I thought if I went back and did everything right, if I was brave, I could make her happy! I did everything I could! I did fucking everything and I still broke her! I still ended up breaking her heart and leaving her hopeless! No! That can't be how we end! That can't be it! I love her more than fucking anything and we get what – ten years together? There's fucking families that just go through the motions , who stay together for fifty years just to keep the kids happy and they don't even fucking love each other! No! How is this fair!'

Santana was crying and screaming. She was so angry. She wasn't talking to Dante; she was pacing back and forth talking to herself. She was trying to work out where she went wrong. When she was scared and didn't step up to the mark she died alone without Brittany. When she did everything right she only got ten years with her and left Brittany broken and empty to live out the rest of her life alone. Maybe they just weren't meant to be together.

'Miss Lopez, please, sit,' said Dante calmly. He seemed to be unaffected by Santana's outburst. Santana complied. She had no more fight left in her. The sight of Brittany's eyes, so empty and so pained, was the only thing playing in her mind.

'Miss Lopez, I see you decided to change the course of your life and you've seen the consequences of your choice. You died of a gunshot wound to the chest at age thirty-one. Your wife, Brittany, in this version of your life, lived until she was sixty-eight. She died peacefully in her sleep.'

Santana's heart skipped a beat. She'd never considered the idea of Brittany dying. Brittany was always so full of life. Even though she knew it was impossible, Santana just assumed that Brittany would live forever. She couldn't imagine a world in which she didn't exist.

'I don't want to change my life again. I don't want to watch all the different ways I break Brittany's heart. Can I just choose a day in my life to revisit, please? I just want to live it the way I did first time round. I won't change anything this time,' Santana said. She sounded defeated.

'Of course. Now, which day would you like to revisit?'

'I don't know when it was or what it includes but I'd like to visit the happiest day of my life,' Santana says. She's curious and she's 100% sure that the happiest day of her life will include Brittany. She'll get to see her again.

'As you wish. This time, Miss Lopez, as you intend to live your life as it is without changing the outcome, you can come back here at any time. We know how your story ends; we don't need you to live it out until the end again. This time you'll be able to just watch as your days unfold in front of you. You cannot step in or change anything. You'll see the most significant moments again, but only those that relate to your chosen day. If you wish to stop and come back here, all you have to do is say 'I'm ready' and I'll bring you back. Understood?'

Santana nodded.

Dante opened the book roughly a third of the way through. Looking at the page before him, he nodded and smiled. 'Enjoy, Miss Lopez.'

Once again, the room disappeared and Santana's world became blurred. She began to hear noises and recognised the blurred outline of people dressed in blue. As the scene sharpened and she saw where she was, she couldn't quite believe it.


	4. Chapter 4

Santana could see herself lying on the bed in front of her. She must be in her late twenties. By her side, Brittany is holding her hand and wiping at her forehead. She's muttering things like 'you're doing so well, Santana', 'I love you, I'm so proud of you' and 'Just one more push, you can do it.' Santana Lopez was giving birth.

She watched as the real Santana screamed in pain and squeezed Brittany's hand tightly. After another three pushes the room fell silent apart from the cries of their child. The doctor cleaned their baby up before placing it in Santana's arms. 'Congratulations, you have a beautiful baby boy. I'll give you two a few moments privacy,' he said before he and the midwives left the room.

Santana was left staring at a younger version of herself, Brittany by her side, her son in her arms. She sat down at the side of the bed and listened to what they were saying.

'He's perfect, Santana. He's just so perfect,' Brittany says, stroking her son's head softly. Santana always knew that Brittany would be a good mother, but seeing it play out in front of her was just so much more incredible than she could ever have imagined. 'You did so well, you were absolutely amazing,' Brittany says, leaning in to kiss Santana on the forehead. 'We're just so lucky. We're a family. We're an actual family now.'

Then Santana speaks and her voice is different than she remembers. There's no hint of anger or sarcasm or fear as she recalls it to be when she was young. It is completely and utterly full of truth and honesty and, above all, love. Santana has never, ever seen herself so happy.

'Britt, you're the amazing one. I mean, if you hadn't have sold your studio we could never have afforded the treatment for this. I guess we're both equally responsible for our little miracle,' she says, not knowing whether to be looking at her son or Brittany.

Santana, sitting beside the bed, is taken aback. Brittany sold her dance studio so they could have a child. She always knew that Brittany would go to any length to make sure she was happy, but giving up her own dreams so they could start a family together was far beyond anything she would ask from her. Santana thinks though that the smile on both of their faces as they look at their son is worth more than all the money in the world. Briefly, Santana wonders why her son or Brittany weren't there when she died. She had a son, a family. So why did she die alone?

'Now that he's here, Britt, do you still think he looks like a Jamie?' Santana on the bed says.

'I think he's the most perfect Jamie that ever lived,' Brittany replies. 'Jamie Lopez-Pierce. It suits him.'

Suddenly, the edges of the room begin to blur and the scene disappears. Santana waits for the darkness to show her the next significant moment of her life. The next three scenes flash before her eyes in quick succession. She's only given about thirty seconds of each. Jamie's first day of school, Jamie passing his driving test and Jamie taking his girlfriend to prom. Santana can't believe how perfectly he grew up. He has her dark skin and black hair, but the way he handles himself and expresses himself is entirely Brittany. He's the most perfect combination of both of them.

Eventually, the scene around Santana stabilises and she can see herself hugging someone. It's a tight hug, and something about it tells her that she should never let go. She's hugging Jamie. He must be about twenty now. They're standing in an airport. He's dressed in camouflage and beside his feet is a backpack. Her son joined the army. Santana is only acutely aware of Brittany, who is standing to her left, crying.

'Stay safe, Jamie, please,' Brittany says in a voice that Santana's never heard before. It is one of pure concern. 'Don't be a hero. You're already our hero; you're our miracle, okay? We're already so, so proud of you, you don't need to prove anything. Just come back to us.'

'Mom,' Jamie says. Santana realises it's the first time she's heard him speak. His voice is so warm and friendly that Jamie could easily be Brittany's biological child. If Santana hadn't been shown herself giving birth to him, she honestly wouldn't believe that they share the same genes. 'Mom, it's going to be okay. I'll be back in six months. You know I'd never miss your Thanksgiving dinner,' he says with a wink. Santana just hopes he's right. Something deep in the pit of her stomach tells her that this might be the last time she sees Jamie alive. She feels sick.

Then, just as quickly as he left, Jamie is back. Santana is watching herself sitting at a table eating what can only be described as a Thanksgiving feast. Brittany is sitting in the seat beside her, and across the table are Jamie and his girlfriend. She's the same girl he took to prom. Santana thinks that maybe he fell in love with his high school sweetheart just the same way she did. He is her son after all.

All of a sudden, Jamie stands up and hits his knife against his glass to get everyone's attention. When he is sure his parents and girlfriend are watching him, he sets his glass down. He turns to his girlfriend and begins to talk.

'Jennifer, I've honestly loved you from the moment I met you. That was eight years ago now on the first day of high school. You were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, and I swore to myself that I'd do anything I could to make you mine. Luckily enough, just being me was enough for you and I wake up every day feeling so lucky that you're mine. I want to spend the rest of my life making you feel as good and as loved as you've made me feel.'

Jamie got down on one knee and reached into his pocket, pulling out a diamond ring.

'Jennifer, will you marry me?'

'Yes!' Jennifer screams, before jumping up off her seat and kissing Jamie with everything she has. Jamie slips the ring onto her finger before pulling her in for a hug.

Watching the scene unfold in front of her, Santana can see herself and Brittany join hands and give each other a light kiss on the lips before mouthing 'I love you' to each other.

Then everyone disappears but the room is the same. Santana can see herself sitting at the table on a laptop, sheets scattered all over place. She looks stressed. There is a knock on the door and Santana hears herself shout 'Britt that must be Quinn! Can you get the door? I'm busy!'

A few moments later, Brittany enters the room followed by two men Santana doesn't recognise. 'San...' is all Brittany manages to say. Her voice sounds scared. Santana gets up from the table and stands beside Brittany, holding her hand.

Santana knows enough to be able to tell that the men are sergeants and, looking at the number of badges on their lapels, must be very high ranking. She also knows that these are the people they send to deliver bad news. She prays with everything she has that she's wrong.

'Miss Lopez, Miss Pierce. I'm terribly sorry but your son Jamie was killed this morning in crossfire. He saved a family of five from their home before suffering a fatal shot to the heart. We would like to present you both with the Medal of Honor. Jamie was most certainly a hero and we wish to recognise his sacrifice.'

Santana could only stand and watch as Brittany collapsed into her. Santana was holding her up. They were both crying. Santana was holding Brittany tightly and rubbing her back slowly. Brittany was visibly broken. The Santana holding on to her just stood in disbelief as tears made their way down her cheeks.

Unable to watch any longer, Santana whispered 'I'm ready'.


	5. Chapter 5

Dante looked at Santana with the same friendly smile. His facial expression never changes.

'I don't understand,' Santana cries. 'Why can't we have a happy ending? Why can't Britt and I just have the life everyone dreams of? Whatever happens we both get hurt.'

'Miss Lopez. Everyone gets hurt. Hurting is a part of life. You asked to go back to your happiest day. What was that like?'

Santana had forgotten about how happy and how perfect that day had been.

'It was beyond anything I could ever have imagined,' she answered honestly. 'Brittany was beautiful and Jamie was just... perfect. Even now I couldn't wish for a more perfect son. I mean, he gave his own life to save the lives of others.' Then Santana realised something. 'He gave up his dream of marrying Jennifer so other people could have theirs, just like Brittany gave up her studio so we could have him.'

Santana sat in silence. She was attempting to comprehend just what Jamie had done. He sacrificed his happiness for the happiness of others. He saved a family of five. Santana knew what it was like to be given the gift of family. She began to cry. Jamie was just as selfless as Brittany. Santana was proud of the man they'd raised. She was thankful for him, thankful for Brittany. Then she realised something else. Brittany. She was still with her. Even after making all the wrong decisions in high school, after being such a coward and being forced to come out through some stupid election campaign – she still ended up with Brittany.

'Dante,' she began. 'Brittany. What happened to Brittany?'

'I'm afraid I'm not allowed to tell you that information. All I can do is show you... if you wish to see that is. You have one more day in your life to revisit. Choose carefully and you can find out for yourself.'

'I want to go back to the last time I ever saw Brittany,' Santana says without hesitation.

For the third time, Dante opens the book in front of him. This time he opens it very close to the end. Santana feels hopeful.

'This one may be the most revealing of the three, Miss Lopez. I'll see you soon.'


	6. Chapter 6

Santana is standing in a small chapel. There are four pews on each side of the central aisle. At the end of the room there is an empty table and a door on the far left. Santana almost throws up as she realises that the empty table is one that is the place for a coffin. She hears voices from behind her and turns around to be greeted with a man and a woman. Both are elderly, no younger than seventy years of age. The man is a priest, dressing in flowing black robes with a small crucifix around his neck. The woman is dressed smartly in a black trouser suit. She is walking with a stick.

'Miss Lopez, Brittany is in the back room if you wish to say your goodbyes alone before we start the ceremony,' the priest says. Santana is shocked as she realises the woman is her. This is Brittany's funeral. She watches, and follows, as the real Santana enters the door at the end of the room.

The room is very plain, the walls a pale cream colour. In front of her is an open coffin. Santana feels herself stiffen as she sees Brittany's dead body lying there so peacefully. She looks so happy, but Brittany always was and even now, in death, she had a slight smile on her face. She was dressed in a pale blue skirt and blouse. Her hands were resting on top of one another on her stomach. She had very few wrinkles and her hair was still a bright blonde. Brittany had aged extremely well.

She looked almost like she was sleeping. Her eyes were closed and Santana felt a pain in her chest as she realised that she was never going to get the opportunity to see those perfect, blue eyes look back at her again.

She watched as real Santana took a step over to stand directly beside Brittany's coffin. She began to speak. Her voice was raspy and croaky and sounded like old age.

'Brittany,' Santana started, reaching down to hold onto one of Britt's cold hands. 'I'm going to miss you so much, Britt. You know I love you, I always will. I just – I wish I'd married you. I wish we'd moved to New York and got married. I wish I could have called you my wife. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure women after us have the right to marry each other here in Ohio, Britt. I'm not going to give up, just like you never gave up on me.'

Santana reached into her pocket and pulled out two items. She placed the napkin over the back of her hand where she was holding Brittany's.

'Y'know, I've kept that since the first time I ever held your hand in public. I had to do it under this napkin, but it was the most magical feeling of my life. You didn't even complain when I was still trying to hide what we had and I don't think you ever knew how thankful I was for that. I tried so hard and we got there in the end, Britt. I told you I'd do it for you and I did. It was the best decision I've ever made in my life.'

Santana leant over and placed something over Brittany's wrist.

'The undertaker gave me back all your jewellery but I don't want it. You need to keep this bracelet Britt so I know that there's still a part of me with you. I'm still wearing mine. In high school I kept this bracelet on so I had a constant reminder of what I was fighting for. Now, I just keep it on as a reminder of how lucky I am. I know Jamie would have wanted to be here today to say goodbye to you, but at least you'll be together now. He'll take good care of you until we meet again. I love you Brittany. I'll see you soon.'

Santana leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Brittany's forehead. She squeezed Brittany's hand one last time before leaving go and walking out of the room. She didn't look back.

The other Santana was left alone in the room with Brittany. She walked over and took one last glance at her before whispering 'I'm ready'.

For the last time, she found herself in front of Dante. She now understood why he never showed any form of sadness. He had simply been waiting for Santana to work out that she'd had the perfect life. Now that she looked at him with this realisation, he looked far more smug than friendly.

'We had a child. We grew old together,' was all that Santana managed to say. She couldn't believe that after everything, she'd actually had the most perfect life she could ever imagine. It was full of heartbreak and sadness but it was also full of love and happiness and, more than anything, it was full of Brittany.

'I died alone because everyone that mattered was already gone,' she said. Santana was thinking out loud, piecing together all the parts of her life.

'Why couldn't I remember? Can you tell me that?' Santana asked Dante.

'Old age, Miss Lopez. The memory is the first thing to go – everyone knows that,' he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'I had to work this out on my own, didn't I? That changing my life wouldn't do any good because there was nothing I could do to improve it. Even all the low points were perfect.'

'Congratulations, Miss Lopez. You've unlocked the age old mystery – the meaning of life. You see, everyone is given the life meant for them. You may want to change it or wish for it to be easier, but ultimately your life is tailored and perfected for you and only you. You get given both what you want, and what you need. Maybe not directly and maybe not without consequence, but you get them all the same.'

'You've had your three days, so my job here is complete. This is where I leave you. I do believe there are some people who wish to see you more than I do,' Dante says as he stands up and steps to the side. In the darkness behind him another spotlight appears. Under the light Santana can make out two figures. She would recognise them anywhere.

'Thank you. Thank you so much,' she says to Dante before running as fast as she can towards Brittany and Jamie.

Brittany wasn't the elderly woman she was when Santana last saw her. She was much younger, maybe late twenties. She was wearing denim jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Her hair was falling over her shoulders in loose curls the same way they had that day in the choir room when Santana had sung to her. Santana thought to herself that this was the most beautiful that Brittany had ever looked. After all, this was Santana's version of Heaven. This was the Brittany that Santana remembered most perfectly.

Jamie was in his army camouflage. The Medal of Honor was displayed proudly on his lapel. His hair was cut tidily and he was clean shaven. The sparkle in his eye was the same as Brittany's, that one of love and hope. Santana had never been so proud.

As she reached her family, Santana did what she'd been waiting to do for what seemed like forever. She kissed Brittany with more passion than ever. When she pulled away she kissed Jamie on the cheek before hugging him as tightly as she did in the airport when he was being deployed.

'I- I can't – I,' Santana tried to speak but words failed her. What do you say when you're reunited with your loved ones when you thought you'd never see them again?

'It's okay, Santana. You'll get used to it. We have forever to say everything we need to so there's no rush,' Brittany said calmly, instantly soothing Santana.

'I just can't believe how lucky I am to be here with you both again,' Santana managed to say. She didn't think it fully expressed how she felt, but it was a start.

'Honey, what did I tell you when we came back from New York, just before senior year?' Brittany said.

Santana wracked her brain trying to remember but it failed her. 'I- I don't know Britt.'

'I told you that I love you more than anyone else in the world and because of that anything was possible. You should have trusted me when I said that. I meant it – that _anything_ is possible.'

Santana stared at Brittany in awe. She always knew that Brittany was smart – smarter than her when it came to common sense and wisdom. Santana was book smart. She knew what year the war ended, she knew how much money it cost to build the Empire State Building, but Brittany knew so much more. She knew how to love – wholly and without restriction. She knew how to reassure. She knew how to be hopeful, even in the worst situations. Santana was speechless. She should have known that her story with Brittany had a happy ending. How could it have anything else when Brittany was the lead character?

'Come on, we've so much to show you,' Brittany said taking Santana by the hand. Jamie threw his arm around Santana's shoulders before saying 'yeah mom, I've so much to tell you and I'm sure you have a lot to tell me so come on, it's not like we have forever,' he said with a smile. All three of them laughed. They did have forever and it started now.

* * *

><p>Santana Lopez died on a Tuesday. There was nothing remarkable about her death. The only mourners at her funeral four days later were the nurses who had cared for her in the final two years of her life – she outlived everyone she loved. Never married – her state law didn't allow it, and with no children left – her only son died a hero in Iraq, Santana's possessions were donated to Goodwill and the remaining dollars in her bank account left to the home that she'd lived in – as was her request. There was a short dedication in the local newspaper the week following her death that spoke about how she campaigned for marriage equality until she developed dementia. After that, all that was left as evidence that Santana ever existed at all was a carved stone in a graveyard that read:<p>

_'Jamie Lopez-Pierce  
>Killed in action aged 24<br>2023 – 2047_

_Brittany Susan Pierce  
>1994 – 2069<em>

_Santana Maria Lopez  
>1993 – 2076<em>

_Until We Meet Again'_

Eighty-three years of life and that was all there was to show for it.


End file.
